


We're Better Together

by grimmlin



Series: Dreaming of Vesuvius [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Whump (Supernatural), Emotional Castiel (Supernatural), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, M/M, Protective Dean Winchester, Roadtrip, Sweet Dean Winchester, Timestamp, discussion of child death, discussion of domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-04 15:26:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21199886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grimmlin/pseuds/grimmlin
Summary: This is a timestamp for Dreaming of Vesuvius, reading the previous works is recommended before reading this.Two years have passed since Castiel and Dean reunited in Herculaneum. For Cas, this has meant two years of happiness and growing, healing and learning. All with Dean at his side. Now, with help from his therapist and Dean's support, Cas is ready to confront his past and lay some of his ghosts to rest...beginning with his brother.





	1. Ghosts from the Past

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for joining me on this journey, your words of encouragement and support mean the world to me and I couldn’t have come this far without you. This is the final timestamp I have planned and I hope to have it finished before my soul is consumed by Nanowrimo.
> 
> Fair warning, this first chapter is bittersweet and made me cry to write it and then again when I was editing and proofreading. Discussions of child death, losing a sibling, domestic violence, and grieving are contained within so approach with caution if these topics are troubling. The next two chapters are much more lighthearted, I promise.

Dean takes a deep breath and drums his fingers on the steering wheel. The music is turned down low enough for him to hear the soft, breathy, snores coming from the passenger seat and he smiles as he glances over to see Cas leaning against Baby’s window.

They’ve been driving for three days to get here and Dean yawns as his fingers drift to brush over his pocket and the treasure held there, making sure nothing has disappeared since they threw their bags in the backseat and left Stanford. His heart patters with excitement as he stares at the road ahead.

They had spent weeks tracking down the cemetery where his twin is buried and Cas is determined to be there for their birthday. They would be twenty-five in tomorrow and Dean is so _proud_ that Cas has come so far in the last two years.

Early spring rain begins to fall, pattering against the windshield and lending an eerie feeling to the deserted highway. They’re nearing Pontiac, Illinois and Dean almost wishes the sun was still shining but they’ve been chasing darkness for the last several hours.

Dean yawns and pushes himself back into his seat to straighten his spine. He sighs with relief when the pressure is rewarded with several small pops and a rush of endorphins.

“Dean?” Cas stirs, wiping the sleep from his eyes. “Want me to drive for a while?” He yawns and rolls his head on his shoulders before turning his sleepy gaze on Dean.

Dean smiles softly, taking in Cas’ sleep mussed hair with a glance before staring out at the road in front of them. “Nah, I’m good.”

Cas fixes him with an unimpressed squint and shakes his head. “You’ve been driving for over twelve hours. Either let me drive or find a hotel so we can both sleep.”

Dean huffs but he knows Cas is right. His vision is beginning to blur and his eyes itch. He sees another sign advertising Pontiac. “We’re almost there,” He argues. “Less than fifty miles. I can make it.”

Cas hums and reaches across the wide bench seat to rest his hand on Dean’s thigh as he straightens his posture. “I didn’t realize.” His tone is wooden and suddenly tense as Dean drops his hand to cover Cas’ and squeezes.

The first hotel that is within their price range is less than ten miles up the road from the cemetery and they’re checked in and settled within an hour.

Awesome.

“Are you sure about getting delivery to a hotel?” Cas eyes the menu skeptically as Dean scrubs a towel over his shower damp hair.

Dean nods. “Pizzas probably the only safe bet,” he says as he pulls the Chinese menu from Cas’ hands. “Never trust Chinese food on the road.”

Cas shrugs with a frown. “If you say so. Supreme alright?”

Dean grunts but nods. Meat lovers is the best, but he’ll suffer through a few vegetables if that’s what will make Cas happy. “Sure. I’ll order, you go ahead and get in the shower.” Dean gives Cas a quick kiss and nudges him to get up.

Cas hums as he fists Dean’s t-shirt and drags him back for another, deeper kiss that leaves Dean grinning like a fool as Cas walks away and closes the bathroom door behind him.

Dean grabs his jeans off the floor and carefully folds them, double-checking his pocket as he sets them on top of his duffel bag for tomorrow. The shower starts as Dean gathers his phone to call for the pizza and by the time Cas exits the bathroom in a cloud of steam, Dean is handing a wad of cash off to the delivery person.

Dean swallows hard as he watches Cas cross the room, best bare and still glistening with stray moisture and his sweatpants hang so low on his hips that Dean knows it would take only a gentle tug to make them fall. Dean bites down on his whine and forces himself to turn away to set the pizza on the small table in the corner of the room.

Cas steps up behind him and wraps his arms around Dean’s waist to tug him backward. Dean goes easily with a happy hum and drops his head back to rest on Cas’ shoulder as his eyes slip closed.

“Thank you for doing this with me,” Cas whispers into his ear and Dean smiles softly as he turns in Cas’ arms.

Dean drapes his arms over Cas’ shoulders and looks him in the eye. “Like you could get out the door without me.” He smiles cheekily with a wink and Cas’ answering smile makes Dean’s stomach flutter wildly.

He loves this man.

So much.

More than he had imagined himself to be capable of when Cas only existed in his dreams.

“I love you,” Dean mutters, his gaze straining toward where his jeans rest on his luggage. Now isn’t the time. He doesn’t know when the time will be, but now isn’t it. Not with the coming days ahead of them.

Cas leans forward, oblivious to Dean’s distraction and pulls him into a chaste kiss that is interrupted by Dean’s stomach making demands for the pizza cooling on the table. “We should eat,” Cas says with a chuckle as he pecks Dean’s nose and nudges him away.

Dean yawns and nods as he opens the box and the delicious aroma of fresh cheese and sauce fills the room. “Looks good.” Dean nods as he steps aside.

Cas hums, sounding faintly surprised as he watches Dean lift the first piece to his lips.

Dean smiles around his mouthful and gestures for Cas to take some. “S’good,” Dean says through his mouthful of food and Cas scowls good-naturedly as he shakes his head and Dean grins.

Later, when the pizza is gone, their teeth brushed and alarm set for the morning, Dean pulls Cas into his arms under the covers and kisses his forehead. “You okay?” He whispers into the dark.

Cas sucks in a breath and nods against Dean’s chest. “I want to pick up flowers before we go. That’s what people do, right? Bring flowers?”

Dean nods and his heart aches. “Flowers would be nice.”

Silence surrounds them as Cas clings. Eventually, Dean feels Cas relax and his breathing evens out as he falls asleep.

Dean stays awake for far longer, wondering what tomorrow will bring.

\---

Cas wakes long before Dean, lulled from his troubled dreams by the sound of rain battering the window of the hotel. He rolls onto his side and reaches for his phone to check the forecast. He doesn’t want to visit his brother for the first time in the pouring rain.

Although, the dreary weather suits his mood well enough.

His chest feels hollow as he sets his phone aside and he settles onto his back. The sun is expected to appear by mid-morning, but they’re still looking at several more hours of rain.

Eventually, Cas rolls out of bed and steps silently across the room to peer out the window at the hotel parking lot. Dean’s Impala sits right outside, gleaming under the lights in the parking lot and looking like a perfect escape.

He shakes his head and swallows hard. He needs to see this through. For so long, his dreams were his greatest source of strength, the only thing giving him hope in the shit show of a life he had been dealt.

But, he survived.

He thrived.

Now, he has Dean and everything he never thought would be meant for him.

Making his peace with Jimmy is the first step in fully moving on and letting go of his past. At least that’s what Ms. Mosely says.

Cas frowns as a shiver passes through him.

“Hey,” Dean says sleepily from across the room. Cas watches his reflection in the window as Dean shrugs off the covers and climbs from the bed to press himself against Cas’ back.

Dean’s warmth cuts through the chill that’s settled over him and Cas leans into the touch gratefully.

“You okay?” Dean whispers and Cas nods, not trusting himself to speak.

Cas covers Dean’s hand with his and stares outward. “The rain is supposed to stop after lunch.”

Dean presses a kiss between Cas’ shoulder blades. “You wanna go after the weather clears?”

“Yes. I think so,” Cas mutters as his stomach flops. He almost wishes they could turn around and go back to California but he doesn’t want to let Dean down.

He needs to do this for them as much as for himself.

“Hungry?” Dean asks, pressing light kisses to the back of Cas’ neck.

Cas forces himself to nod despite the way his stomach recoils from the idea of eating. He needs to keep moving. To stay busy lest his morose thoughts consume him.

“Or, I could distract you?” Dean whispers into his ear as his hand slides down Cas’ stomach and his fingers dip into the waist of Cas’ boxers.

Cas moans and drops his head back onto Dean’s shoulder but he covers Dean’s wandering hand with his own.

Dean kisses his neck and lifts his hand to cover Cas’ belly. “Talk to me.”

Cas sighs and turns in Dean’s arms to bury his nose in the crook of Dean’s neck. “I’m afraid.”

Dean rubs his hands up and down Cas’ back soothingly. “I know. It’s okay to be afraid,” Dean says as he kisses Cas’ temple. “I got you.”

Cas’ throat tightens as he nods, words completely unable to capture how grateful he is for Dean’s support but he has to try. “Thank you,” he mutters and swallows hard. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”

Dean hums and holds him closer. “Come back to bed.”

Cas sucks in a cleansing breath through his nose and nods as Dean leads him across the room and under the still-warm blankets.

He tucks himself into Dean’s arms and lets Dean’s steady heartbeat settle his nerves. The coiling tension in his stomach doesn’t budge and he knows it won’t until this is over. His eyes slide closed as Dean trails his fingers absently over his arm and shoulders.

“Happy birthday,” Dean says softly and Cas huffs with a strained smile. “Hey now, I’m taking you out for cake and ice cream later.”

“Not pie?” Cas mutters, a genuine smile finally curling the corners of his lips.

“Would you rather have pie?” Dean asks, his tone colored with hope.

Cas hums, pretending to consider. “No. I want cake.”

Dean chuckles and kisses the top of Cas’ head. “Whatever you want, babe.”

“Damn right. It’s my birthday.” Cas kisses Dean’s chest and pushes himself up. “Let's go get breakfast.”

\---

As predicted, the rain clears up not long after they leave the diner down the road. Cas uses his phone to find a florist nearby and buys a beautiful bundle of pink and crimson roses on the way to the cemetery and they sit heavily in his lap as Dean drives.

Dean stops at the gatehouse to ask where the right section is and the kindly old man points them down the center lane and to the left.

Jimmy’s stone stands near the end of the row tucked under the shade of a tall red maple tree that is just beginning to bud in a flurry of fiery young leaves. Cas sits frozen in his seat, unable to appreciate the early spring beauty when Dean turns the key to kill Baby’s engine, his gaze fixed on the speckled marble stone ahead and the dying flowers in the urn next to it.

“Someone left flowers,” Cas says, his mouth going dry as his heart twists uncomfortably.

Dean shrugs and chews his lip. “Sometimes people do that. Especially for little kids.”

Cas nods absently as he continues to stare at the wilted daisies next to his brother's headstone. His brother. “That is kind of them.” He swallows hard and shifts the bouquet on his lap as he reaches for the door handle.

He can’t turn back now.

He can hear Dean exit the Impala behind him and sense him following at a polite distance. He needs Dean here, but he’s grateful for the space. He needs a moment alone with Jimmy.

For so many years, he’s held a picture in his mind of how precious his brother would be to him. How important he still is even though his only memories of his twin have faded with time.

They were only toddlers, and yet Jimmy’s memory occupies such a large part of his heart that refuses to heal.

Tears burn in his eyes as he walks, carefully putting one foot in front of the other until he’s staring down at the stone.

Baby James Novak

“Jimmy”

Beloved brother, son, and grandson.

There are other words but Cas’ throat constricts and his eyes burn as he lets out a sob. His entire being aches with a loss he had never been able to place. Seeing this stone, in this peaceful place, makes Jimmy’s faint memory feel more real and legitimizes the longing Castiel still feels for his twin.

Dean silently steps up beside him and takes Cas’ hand gently as he shakes with tears.

They stand that way for several long minutes, the words that Cas planned to say evaporate on his tongue as he stares down at the green grass below his feet. His hand begins to cramp from how tightly he’s gripping the bouquet and he holds the flowers up, finally remembering he has them.

“I...” he starts before swallowing hard. “I brought you these,” Cas says as he holds them out for Jimmy to see. He feels ridiculous, but he needs to do this. He needs to talk to Jimmy like he might be listening or else he is never going to be able to make peace with the past he was never allowed to know.

He kneels in the wet grass, ignoring the way the water immediately seeps through his slacks and chills his skin. The old flowers come out of the urn easily enough and Dean takes them readily.

“I’m gonna take care of these,” Dean says softly as he gestures down the lane with his chin. “Give you two a minute alone.” Dean leans down to kiss Cas’ brow and squeezes his shoulder before he turns to walk away.

Cas nods, unable to form the words to acknowledge Dean’s thoughtfulness. “I wish we had more time together, Jimmy. I, I hate that I can barely remember you, but I love you so much, brother.” Cas mutters as he places the roses he brought. “It isn’t fair how I was spared and you weren’t.” He strokes his fingers over the smooth edge of the stone and leans forward to press his lips to the cold surface.

His eyes burn and his nose runs as wet tears roll down his cheeks. He wipes them away with the back of his hand when he hears Dean come back. He wasn’t gone as long as Cas thought he would be, or maybe more time has passed than Cas realizes.

He sucks in a breath and sniffles as he pushes to his feet, trying to pull himself back together and dull the throbbing ache in his chest.

“Excuse me?” A voice comes from behind him that most certainly is not Dean.

Cas tenses and turns to face the unfamiliar woman. She’s older, in her seventies if Cas had to guess and her grey hair is pulled back in a severe bun.

“Would you care to explain what you’re doing to my grandson’s grave?” She glares him, jaw set in a firm line as Cas stares, finally noticing the man at her side.

“I, uh, there must be some mistake...” Cas shakes his head and stammers. There is no mistake. This is Jimmy. His Jimmy.

“Now, Rachel, give the boy a chance to speak. I’m sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation.” The man takes a gentle hold of the woman’s arm and Cas’ head tilts as his eyes narrow.

“What’s going on here?” Dean’s firm voice demands and Cas jumps, turning his widened eyes to watch his boyfriend approach.

Cas has never been gladder to see him.

“I want to know what you hooligans are doing to Jimmy’s grave!” The woman demands and Dean steps between the elderly couple and Cas.

“Lady, I don’t know what you’re getting at,” Dean glares and jabs his finger toward the ground. “But this is my boyfriend’s brother. We have every right to be here.” Dean points to Jimmy’s stone and Cas swallows hard, feeling the knot in his chest tighten.

“His... his brother?” The old man stammers and cranes his head to get a better look at Cas behind Dean.

Cas steps forward to join Dean in staring them down with bravery he doesn’t feel. He isn’t going to yell at an old lady, but he refuses to be bullied away from his brother’s grave.

Dean is right.

They have every right to be here.

The woman pales as she stares, really _looking_ at him and Cas almost see the moment something inside her shatters. Her eyes well with tears and she staggers forward with an arm outstretched. “Cas...Castiel?” She breathes, a sob forming around her words. “Is it really you?”

“Castiel?” the man asks, lips parting as he stares in disbelief. “Castiel Novak?” He says Cas’ full name as if Castiel weren’t already a unique enough name.

“How...?” Dean starts to question but he’s brushed aside by the woman, Rachel, throwing her arms around Castiel’s shoulders and dragging him close.

Cas lets out a startled squawk of surprise and stands frozen in her embrace as he begs Dean with his eyes to save him.

“Hey, let go of him.” Dean pries her away and wraps a protective arm around Cas’ back and settles a hand on his hip.

“How do you know my name?” Cas asks. He’s certain his heart stopped beating when she said his name and started crying, and he hopes it starts again soon because his stomach is cramping painfully. “Who are you?” Cas’ voice comes out frail and unsure, high pitched in a way that betrays his impending panic.

“We,” the old man says as he pulls his wife close. She dabs at the tears in her eyes as she stares at Cas with a heartbroken frown. “You don’t remember us, do you?” He asks but laughs bitterly and shakes his head before Cas can answer. “Your mother took you and disappeared after Jimmy died. We always hoped we’d see you again.”

“Who are you,” Dean repeats Cas’ question as demand as he looks cautiously between them.

Cas feels like he would crumple if not to Dean’s steady warmth beside him, holding him aloft as his frazzled mind begins to come to an obvious conclusion. “Naomi was your daughter.”

Rachel nods and reaches for him again but Cas takes a step backward and shakes his head.

This is too much. Grandparents. He has grandparents.

Tears well in his eyes again but this time they’re accompanied by a burning in his chest that has his hands trembling.

“This is my wife, Rachel, and my name is Andrew Novak. Naomi was our only daughter. You and Jimmy are our only grandchildren,” Andrew says softly as he takes a half step forward with his hand outstretched as if speaking to a wounded animal.

In a way, Cas feels like he is. He came here to make peace with his lost brother, not meet grandparents he didn’t know he had.

“Why?” Cas rasps, voicing the first word that comes to mind. “Why didn’t you try to find us?” Cas wants to scream at them. The hell Naomi put him through, the drugs, the shitty apartment.

Surely, they knew she wasn’t fit to be a mother.

Betrayal overwhelms his sense of surprise and he shakes his head bitterly. He’s wrong to assume they would have cared at all.

Rachel takes a shaky breath. “We tried, but she wanted space. And then she disappeared. We looked, for so long, but you were just gone.”

Cas huffs and takes another step back. “We were in Florida. Punta Gorda. She didn’t try to hide.”

“Cas, maybe we should hear them out,” Dean says softly looking between Castiel and his apparent grandparents.

“Cassie, please. Let us take you two out for supper, we can explain.” Rachel takes Cas’ limp hand in hers and pleads with her eyes. “We thought we would never see you or our daughter again. Naomi was so angry when she left.” She trails off and shakes her head sadly.

Her skin feels soft and thin against his hands, almost cool as Cas stares. Bile rises in his throat and he shakes his head. “Naomi is dead. I don’t have any family.” He swallows hard and pulls away as tears burn in his eyes.

“I can’t do this.” He spins away and stalks back to the car. Dean doesn’t follow, he can hear him murmuring to the older couple but Cas can’t bring himself to call for him.

He wrenches open the passenger door and drops into the seat with his head in his hands as sobs overtake him. His shoulders shake and his chest aches with the struggle to breathe. Strangled sounds escape his throat as his nose clogs and he sniffles violently against his hands.

The driver's side door opens and Dean slips in, immediately dragging Cas into his arms and cooing soothing sounds as he holds him tight. “It’s alright, babe, let it out.” Dean’s hands rub up and down Cas’ spine as he cries into Dean’s chest.

“I can’t,” Cas gasps between sobs but Dean shushes him.

“I got their phone number. I told them I’d talk to you but it’s your decision if you want to talk to them,” Dean says softly and presses a kiss into Cas’ hair. “Let’s go back to the hotel for now,” Dean says with a hum and Cas nods.

He doesn’t trust his voice.

His heart aches with this newfound knowledge and he wants to push everything away and pretend it never happened. Coming here was a mistake. He sniffles hard and pulls back to wipe his eyes so that Dean can drive but he stares out the window absently as they make their way back to the hotel.

Silences reigns in the car and Cas lets his mind wander, scouring for memories of grandparents. He doesn’t remember them but looking into Rachel’s eyes, it is undeniable.

He can see Naomi reflected in them as clearly as he can in his own.

Fuck.

The swell of hurt in his chest has his tears starting anew and Dean reaches across the bench seat to take his hand.

Cas doesn’t know when they get back to the hotel. He doesn’t know how he’s suddenly in bed with Dean wrapped tight around him, so much like he had when Felix had died in their dreams and they made that fateful journey back to Herculaneum.

Those final dreams have been banished from his mind since the moment Dean turned around to face him in Herculaneum and it seems fitting to be reminded of them now.

His heart aches in much the same way.

Dean must have pulled the curtains when they got back to the room, the bright afternoon rays cut through the crack between them and make Cas squint against the intrusion. “What time is it?” Cas asks, his voice a mere croak from disuse and tears.

Dean shuffles a little and yawns before wrapping his arm back over Cas’ shoulder. “Almost four.”

They’ve been here longer than Cas thought. He nods against his pillow and leans back into Dean’s embrace. “I’m such an idiot.” Cas mumbles. They probably didn’t even know their daughter was dead and Cas just blurted it out before storming off.

The hope in his grandmother's eyes was more than he could bear and now Cas doesn’t think he could face her. They probably don’t want to see him after that.

Dean kisses the nape of his neck and makes a grunt of disapproval. “You’re not. That was a lot for anyone to have to deal with.”

“I don’t remember them at all.” Cas turns in Dean’s arms and blinks the crust from his eyes as he stares into Dean’s.

“You were three, Cas.” Dean leans closer and presses their foreheads together.

“Still. I remembered Jimmy,” Cas tries to justify but his words sound hollow even to himself.

Dean hums. “He was your twin. Of course, you remember.”

Cas sighs and his eyes slip closed. “Still.”

“They want to get to know you.” Dean kisses the tip of Cas nose before pulling him closer.

Cas sinks into Dean’s warm embrace and his chest tightens around the hole of dread that has been boring larger the longer they lay here. “Do you think I should?” His eyes burn all over again. He yearns to know if he has any family out there but he’s so afraid.

All of the what-ifs play through his mind and his stomach nearly heaves with the possibilities. What if they’re just like Naomi? What if he isn’t what they expect him to be? What if they have a problem with Dean?

He doesn’t want to go through that.

Getting to know his grandparents isn’t worth that kind of heartache.

“Stop it,” Dean says. “What if they’re wonderful people? What if Rachel is a sweet old woman who will make you fat with homemade pie? What if Andrew wants to take you football games and feed you hotdogs until you puke? What if they only want their grandson to be happy and loved?” Dean kisses Cas’ brow as fresh tears begin to pool in his eyes.

Dean knows too well how Cas’ mind spirals when he’s hurting and Cas gives him a weak smile. “You think I should give them a chance,” Cas says. The warmth in Dean’s eyes makes his stomach flutter with hope as his fingers twitch and hold tighter to Dean’s back.

Dean shrugs as well as he can while laying down and he frees a hand to brush the arch of Cas’ cheek with his thumb. He leans forward and kisses him gently before giving Cas a wry smile. “That’s your decision, and I’m going to stand by you no matter what you decide. But, if you’re asking, then yes. I think you should.”

Cas sucks in a breath and swallows thickly against the swell of emotion threatening to choke him into another round of tears. Deep in the recesses of his anxiety, he already feels himself reaching for his prospective grandparents, the temptation of having a family to belong to is too tempting to resist.

Dean’s family has embraced him fully in the two years they’ve been together, Cas isn’t alone anymore. He doesn’t need the Novaks, but he _wants._

A pang of guilt flashes through him before he can clamp down on it. Between Dean and Ms. Mosely, he’s learned that he needs to embrace his selfish desires. He clenches his eyes tightly and presses his forehead to Dean’s, forcing himself to silent repeat the mantra his therapist has ingrained in him over the last two years.

_I deserve good things. I deserve to want good things and I deserve to have them._

“I,” Cas starts with a frown as he thinks back to what he can remember of the day. “Did you talk to them? After I went back to the car?” He thinks Dean said he did, but Cas was in no state to remember.

What if Dean didn’t?

How will he find them?

Fresh panic begins to swell and Cas forces himself to take a deep breath when he notices Dean’s concerned frown.

“I did. They invited us to supper but I didn’t give them an answer. I couldn’t make that choice for you. They gave me their phone number if you want to call them.” Dean strokes his thumb lightly over Cas’ cheek and holds his gaze as he speaks

Cas nods. “Would you? I don’t think I can right now.”

Dean gives him a half-smile. “Of course.” He leans forward to kiss Cas’ forehead. “Right now?”

Cas nods. He needs to do this before he loses his nerve.

Dean smiles and sits up to find his phone. After a moment of fumbling, he’s holding the device to his ear and Cas can hear the ringing on the other end. “Hello? Yeah, this is Dean Winchester. Castiel’s boyfriend?”

Cas strains to listen before shaking his head and deciding to go wash up.

Dean’s gaze follows him as he makes his way to the sink and splashes cold water on his face.

“Yes, he’s starting to feel a bit better. We talked it over and we’d love to come over for supper if the offer is still there.” Dean nods and smiles when Cas looks at him through the mirror. “Of course,” Dean says before covering the mouthpiece and nodding to catch Dean’s attention. “Hey, Cas? Rachel would like to know if you want to come over tonight or tomorrow?”

Cas turns with a frown. “I don’t want to impose.” He shrugs and shakes his head as the nervous flutters kick up a storm in his stomach. They planned to leave for Florida tomorrow, but perhaps this might be worth staying another night for.

“We’d hate to impose,” Dean starts before trailing off. “Are you sure?” He looks up at Cas and shrugs. “Alright, we’ll see you at seven. Just need your address.” Dean waves for Cas to find him something to write with.

Cas sucks in a breath and hurriedly grabs the pad of hotel paper from the table by the window and snags a pen from his bag to hand to Dean.

“Great, thank you,” Dean says as he scribbles down the address and then repeats it back. “Yes,” Dean chuckles. “We both eat meat. Anything you make will be delicious I’m sure.” Dean listens for another moment with a soft smile before he nods. “Alright. See you soon. Bye now.”

Dean pulls the phone away to end the call before tossing it aside and opening his arms for Cas. “Dinner’s at seven. She’s going to make pork chops,” Dean mutters into Cas’ shoulder and wraps his arms around Cas’ waist.

Cas swallows thickly as his thoughts swirl. He’s going to have pork chops for dinner with the grandparents he didn’t know existed until only a few hours ago. He huffs a bitter laugh, wondering how this is his life as he clings tighter to Dean. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

Dean squeezes him tighter. “Us against the world.” Dean laughs lightly and nudges Cas’ back. “How are you feeling?”

Cas sucks in a breath and looks inward. “Nervous,” he says the first thing that comes to mind but continues to think. His eyes slide closed and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Excited.”

“There we go,” Dean says with a smile in his voice. “They sounded really eager, Cas. I have a good feeling about this.”

“You think so?” Cas questions as he scrubs a hand over his face. His chest feels hollow after all the crying he’s done today but he can’t find it in himself to feel ashamed. He knew visiting the cemetery would be difficult, but discovering he has grandparents is far more than he had imagined would be possible.

He hopes they like him.

“I do,” Dean says with a smile.

\---

Cas straightens his shirt and forces himself to take a deep breath before he rings the doorbell with Dean right beside him.

The wooden porch of the small bungalow house sags slightly in the middle, the boards worn with age but still sturdy where it counts. A pair of rocking chairs sits to their right and a swing hangs on the left.

The pale blue of the house is charming and quaint in a way that eases the budding tension in Cas’ chest.

His throat is still tight as they wait, the sound of Rachel’s voice calling to them from the other side of the door has him straightening his shoulders and reaching for Dean’s hand.

“Castiel, Dean, please come in,” Rachel wastes no time ushering them inside as she holds the door open and Cas holds his breath as he steps over the threshold.

The inside of the house is warm and the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen have Cas smiling as he turns toward Rachel. “Thank you for having us. I want to apologize for earlier, meeting you came as quite the surprise.” He tries to keep his words lighthearted but the glistening in Rachel’s eyes has his gaze dropping to the floor.

“It’s alright, dear. I’m just so glad you’re here,” she says as she takes his hand in one of hers and Dean’s with the other. “And you too, Dean.”

“Castiel, Dean, thank you for coming.” Andrew reaches out to shake their hands and gestures toward the kitchen. “Supper is almost ready, I hoped maybe you could tell us about yourselves in the meantime?” He gestures toward the dining room and Cas nods, his hand tightening around Dean’s.

“We live in California, at least for now,” Cas offers nervously and swallows hard as he looks to Dean for reassurance when Rachel gestures to the small table, already set with four settings and glasses of water.

Dean hums his agreement and nods, not missing a beat. “We’re working on our Ph.D.’s. I’m studying Classical Archeology and culture in Ancient Rome, and Cas…” He trails off and looks at Cas to continue.

Cas nods and meets Andrew’s eyes briefly. “My degree sounds terribly pretentious, but simply put, I’m studying the development and philosophy of the Latin language.”

Rachel hums as she settles into the chair across from Dean at the circular table. “Those both sound very interesting. You must be so smart,” she says with a proud smile as she takes her husband’s hand. “Neither of us went to college at all, Andrew was a millwright until he retired five years ago and I worked at the library downtown for forty years.”

Cas smiles. “The library? I bet that was a lovely place to work.”

Dean chuckles and shakes his head. “Cas would live in a library if I’d let him.”

Rachel beams as she looks between them and leans closer to Andrew. “How long have you two been together? I don’t want to sound rude, but we don’t know any gay couples, not in this small town. I’ve heard California is more liberal but I’ve never…” She trails off, looking embarrassed as she shakes her head.

“No offense taken,” Dean is quick to reassure her with a good-natured chuckle.

Nothing in her tone belies bigotry but Cas’ chest tightens regardless. “We’ve been together for almost two years, but we’ve known each other most of our lives.” He smiles at Dean and feels warmth bloom in his stomach.

“So you grew up together?” Andrew asks, head tilted slightly as he looks between them.

Dean clears his throat and shakes his head before sipping from the glass in front of him. “Not exactly.”

“It’s a long story, probably best for another time,” Cas says quickly. “Dean grew up in Kansas.”

Rachel nods as her expression tightens. Cas feels bad for already keeping secrets, but it’s far too soon to explain their dreams to strangers.

Cas doesn’t want them to think he’s insane.

The oven timer goes off and Rachel bounces up from her chair to rescue the pork chops. “I’ll be right back, dears,” She says even as Dean pushes to his feet.

“Can I help with anything, ma’am?” He asks and Cas loves him even more.

Rachel smiles kindly and nods. “Could you pull the bowl of salad out of the refrigerator?”

Dean grins, always glad to help. “Of course.”

“Thank you, Dean, just set it on the table there,” Rachel smiles, already enamored by Dean’s roguish smile.

The conversation through dinner stays lighthearted, Cas and Dean telling them about their studies and Cas’ time in Italy.

After dessert is served and eaten, they ask about Naomi and Cas is careful to skirt around the worst of his childhood but he still breaks into subdued tears when he tells them about Naomi’s death.

They hadn’t known their only daughter has been gone for eight years and even Dean’s eyes water as Cas shares the handful of good memories that he has of her.

Dean knows the whole story, and he holds Cas’ hand tightly as he explains that he doesn’t want to taint their memories of their daughter by telling them everything quite yet.

In turn, Andrew and Rachel explain how Naomi took Cas and disappeared and how neither of them could afford to hire an investigator to find them. Not with Jimmy’s medical bills and their meager salaries.

By the time Dean helps Rachel load their dessert dishes into the dishwasher, Cas is entirely too full and his heart is both heavy and lightened in a dramatic clash of emotions.

“We have some photo albums you’re welcome to look through if you’d like,” Andrew offers as he leans back in his chair and Cas looks at him with wide eyes.

Cas’ heart stutters. “Pictures?” He asks, scarcely willing to believe.

Rachel smiles warmly and nods. “Yes, of you and Jimmy. Your mom. Us.”

Cas feels tears prickle in the corners of his eyes and he wipes them away with the back of his hand as he nods. “I would like that,” He says, proud that his voice barely cracks.

Andrew shows them into the living room as has them sit on the loveseat in front of a low table where a stack of photo albums sit and he gestures toward them, offering Cas to take his pick of where to start.

Cas reaches for a powder blue book decorated with toy trains and cars as Dean scoots close, pressing their legs together from hip to ankle.

“That’s your baby book,” Andrew says with a smile as he nods for Cas to continue.

Cas holds his breath as he opens the cover and covers his mouth with his free hand when he takes in the first photograph.

Naomi in a hospital bed, holding two tiny infants wearing baby blue knit caps and swaddled tightly in matching blankets.

“That was two weeks after you were born.” Rachel settles in the armchair next to Cas and points for him to turn the page.

“They’re so small,” Dean says softly as he glances at Cas.

Andrew hums and nods. “They were born almost a month early. Naomi was heartbroken when the doctors told us how sick Jimmy was.” His voice is tinged with sadness even as the woman holding the babies in the photograph grins.

Cas narrowly resists stroking his fingers over his mother’s smiling face. He doesn’t remember her ever smiling like that.

He turns the page before he gives in to temptation.

The next page holds two photos of tiny babies wearing nothing but diapers. Cas sucks in a breath when he notices how thin and frail they are. The one on the right has a tube coming out of his arm and his skin is flushed nearly crimson. _Jimmy_ the label below the photo says and Cas can’t resist touching. “I didn’t know we were premature,” he says quietly, cursing his mother for her poor choices.

Rachel nods. “After the accident, the doctors said we were lucky we didn’t lose all three of you.”

“Accident?” Cas’ head snaps up and he stares at Rachel, searching for an answer.

Andrew sighs and shakes his head. “Naomi didn’t tell you?”

Cas shakes his head and he feels his skin starting to crawl. “She was a drug addict. Alcoholic. That’s what happened to Jimmy,” he says, continuing to shake his head as Dean squeezes his knee.

Andrew shakes his head sadly. “That came after,” he says as he steps behind his wife and rests his hands on her shoulders.

“After what?” Dean asks, tightening his hold on Cas’ knee as he turns the page.

Rachel takes a deep breath and nods hesitantly. “Naomi wanted you boys, so badly. She was so excited to be a mom,” she trails off and shakes her head. “Unfortunately, her boyfriend didn’t feel the same.”

Andrew squeezes her shoulders and picks up where she leaves off. “Naomi was a good girl. She did well in school, got a job with her mom at the library to save for college. Then she met Henry.” He shakes his head bitterly.

“She started drinking, partying. He was a bad influence on her, but then she found out she was pregnant and straightened herself out. Henry got very angry when she told him that she was keeping the baby. He hit her, and I don’t think that was the first time.” Rachel cuts in with a furious frown as Cas looks at them with shock widened eyes.

“They broke up and she moved back here with us. I should have gone with her she went back to their apartment to get her things.” He shakes his head and Cas can see the way his eyes glisten in the soft light of the room.

He takes a deep breath before continuing. “He was supposed to be at work, but he had gotten fired the day before. They argued when she tried to leave. She was seven months pregnant then, I’ll never forgive myself for letting her go alone.”

“A neighbor found her unconscious at the bottom of the stairs two hours later and called an ambulance.” Rachel finishes with tears glistening in her eyes.

Cas’s throat closes and his mind reels as his stomach lurches. Naomi never mentioned any of this. He shakes his head, denying the possibility.

Rachel wipes her eyes and gestures for Cas to turn the page.

He swallows hard and obeys.

“They had to perform a cesarean to save you boys, but Jimmy took the brunt of the fall. He was without oxygen for too long, the doctors did what they could but told us to expect the worst,” Andrew continues sadly.

The photo in front of Cas shows Rachel snuggling one doll-sized baby to her shoulder with a sad smile.

“That’s you, sweetie,” Rachel says, gesturing to the picture. “Two days after you were born. Our miracle baby.” She smiles to match her expression in the photo. “Jimmy was still intubated then, we couldn’t hold him. That morning was when your mom decided to name you Castiel. She said she had a dream when she was unconscious, a voice that promised you would be okay while telling her what your name needed to be.” She reaches up and places her hand over her husband's.

“My father killed Jimmy,” Cas says, heart still stuttering in a sickly rhythm. Everything he had ever known about his mother, Jimmy… everything was wrong. He blamed her for something she didn’t do.

Tears well in his eyes as his guilt swells and his stomach clenches. “I didn’t know,” he says as he turns to Dean. “I didn’t know it wasn’t her fault.”

Dean flinches a smile and wraps his arm around Cas.

The next pages hold photos of him and Jimmy growing up. Jimmy grew slower and smiled less than Cas. The more they grow, the easier they are to tell apart. One picture, with them together in the bathtub, covered in soap bubbles and Naomi laughing along with a chubby-cheeked Castiel as she held Jimmy upright, brings tears to Cas’ eyes.

“What happened to my father?” Cas finally asks, looking up from the happy family in the pictures with a glare.

Andrew sucks in a breath. “He went to prison. Just got out two years ago. We haven’t seen or spoken to him, but we were notified when he was released.”

Cas closes his eyes and forces himself to breathe.

“We can find his information for you if you’d like,” Rachel begins to offer but Cas shakes his head sharply.

“No. I want nothing to do with him,” Cas says bluntly. This has been nice, meeting his grandparents but he isn’t certain he wants a relationship with them yet, but he does not want to know the name of the asshole who sent his life careening down the path it took.

Naomi made poor choices. Her grief over losing Jimmy, the blame that Cas knows she carried with her, none of that excuses the choices she made. She might have ended up following the same path if Henry hadn’t hurt her, but at least Cas would have had his brother.

No. Henry is the most to blame and Cas feels rage coiling in his stomach.

If he ever meets the bastard, he might kill him.

“Hey, you’re alright,” Dean’s soft voice whispers in his ear and Cas unclenches his fingers from the photo album.

“It’s getting late, we should be going soon. Long drive ahead of us tomorrow,” Cas says, feeling regret bubble up as he watches his grandparent’s expressions fall. He doesn’t want to hurt them, but he doesn’t know how much more he can take.

He’s exhausted.

Rachel nods and gives him an accepting smile. “Before you go, there is something we want you to have,” she says as she pushes to her feet.

“That isn’t necessary,” Cas starts to say but she waves her hand and shushes him.

“It belongs with you, sweetie,” she says as she steps from the room and out of sight.

Cas sighs and drops his head back against the couch to stare at the ceiling and fight back the tears that threaten to surface.

“Thank you for letting us get to know you, son. Means the world to us to know you’re alright,” Andrew says and Cas clenches his eyes before turning to him with a sad smile.

“I don’t know what to do with all this. I thought I didn’t have any family. I, I’m sorry, but this is a lot to take in. I can’t make any promises.” Cas hates himself as the words leave his mouth but that’s the truth. He doesn’t know if he can handle getting to know these people more.

They’ve been absent his entire life, although seemingly not by choice.

He doesn’t know how to let them in.

“I understand, son, I do. I hope you decide to let us be a part of your life, this is a lot for us too.” Andrew nods but his voice is tinged with pain and Cas hates that he put it here.

But, Missouri and Dean have both taught him that he needs to take care of himself first and he’s determined to do so. He needs time. He nods and is saved from responding by Rachel returning with a fuzzy blue blanket in her arms.

Cas’ eyes widen and tears well in his eyes when he takes in the floppy rabbit ears and smiling cartoon face on the top of the bundle. “Boppy,” He breathes as he pushes to his feet to take the blanket. “I, I remember this,” He mutters as tears well in his eyes and he hugs his baby blanket to his chest. “Thank you.”

Rachel smiles softly and squeezes his shoulder as he turns back toward Dean.

Dean looks up at him with watery green eyes and smiles.

Cas feels emboldened by the adoration shining in Dean’s eyes and he hands off the blanket before turning back to his grandparents. “Thank you,” He says again around the lump in his throat as he holds his arms open.

Rachel pulls him in readily and he holds her tight as some of his broken pieces begin to knit together. She cries against his shoulder as Andrew joins their hug and Dean watches with a tear rolling down his cheek.

They leave soon after and Cas’ heart aches for a new reason as his fingers lightly stroke the ears of his baby blanket. He has their number saved in his phone for if he’s ever ready, but for now he wants nothing more than fall asleep in Dean’s arms and decompress.

Tomorrow they get back on the road and head to Florida. Cas hasn’t seen Rufus since he packed up to move to California and he misses his old friend. Meg is flying in from North Carolina to see him and Balthazar, Gabriel, and Anna will be there too.

Chuck is back in Italy, but Cas still has a key and an offer to stay at his house while they’re visiting.

Cas is so excited to finally introduce Dean to his friends that the thought of going back to Punta Gorda doesn’t turn his stomach into knots like it has for the last six years.

At least he’s certain there won’t be any surprises waiting for him.


	2. Punta Gorda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean continue on their road trip and Dean is introduced to Castiel's friends. He likes some of them more than others.

Cas was wrong. Very wrong. He grips Dean’s hand as Gabriel throws an arm over Balthazar’s shoulders and ogles Dean with a lewd smirk. These two teaming up can only mean misery.

“We couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you, Cassie,” Gabe grins as he releases Balthazar and throws his arms around Cas.

“Uh,” Cas starts to say but Dean’s amused chuckle makes the words die on his lips.

“Yeah, Cassie. We were taking bets on when you’d show up.” Balthazar takes Gabriel’s place and plants a wet kiss on Cas’ cheek with a loud pop. “Did he ever tell you that I was his first kiss?” Balthazar waggles his brows and Cas wants almost wants to punch him.

“I never said you were my first,” Cas narrows his eyes in a glare. “And it meant nothing, Dean. I swear.”

Dean laughs with a shake of his head and steps forward with his hand outstretched. “I’m Dean,” He says as Balthazar takes his hand.

“The mystery man Cassie has been pining over since we first met. Pleased to finally meet you,” Balthazar says with a wolfish grin and Cas _knows_ they’re in trouble.

“We’ve been driving for pretty much a week guys, we’re really tired,” Cas tries to excuse but Gabriel’s grin makes Cas’ heart sink.

“We thought you might be, so we brought stuff to cook you dinner!” Gabriel cheers and Balthazar’s grin grows.

“Oh no,” Cas says with a groan as he scrubs a hand over his face.

“What? They seem nice,” Dean says with a wary smile.

“They’re up to something,” Cas says, watching his friends out of the corner of his eyes as they pull bags out of the trunk of Balthazar’s car. “Come on, lets at least get settled before they try to kill us.”

“So, Balthazar was your first kiss?” Dean says as Cas shows him to his room.

Everything is just as Cas left it, even the dust and he huffs and shakes his head. As far as Cas knows, they’re the first people in his house since Chuck left for Italy two months ago. “He was drunk, or high.” Cas shrugs. “Gabe had dragged me out to _Greek night_ at a male strip club and Balthazar was there. He was just teasing me, it didn’t mean anything.”

“Just teasing you?” Dean smirks but his eyes are guarded.

“He was kissing another man, I thought he was straight and said as much. So, he kissed me and told me he was pansexual. I was so shocked that I just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights.” Cas shrugs and hopes his story doesn’t sound as flimsy as it feels despite the truth to it.

“Wait, so he kissed you without permission? I’m gonna kill him.” Dean turns toward the closed door and glares at the laughter drifting in from the kitchen.

“No, Dean. It wasn’t like that.” Cas snags his arm and pulls him back as his stomach flips happily at Dean’s protective stance. “He was inebriated, but he gave me time to stop him. It was just a joke on his part.”

“A joke? Cas! That’s... you can’t just kiss people without permission! That’s assault!” Dean shakes his head but keeps his tone hushed.

Cas sucks in a deep breath and his eyes widen. Dean’s vehemence is as surprising as it is charming. “Dean, please. It was nothing. I let him do it, I did not _feel_ assaulted and I still don’t. Confused maybe, but he didn’t hurt me. At all. Please let it go,” Cas meets Dean’s eyes as he lays his words out as clearly as he can. Maybe Dean would be right under other circumstances, but Cas holds no ill will toward his friend and he never has.

Balthazar is a shameless flirt, he meant no harm.

“Still,” Dean says with a frown as he turns to stare at the door.

Cas sucks in a breath and closes his eyes. “Please, just leave it alone.”

He watches Dean’s throat flex as he thinks, still staring at the door and he lets out a sigh of relief when Dean’s shoulders sag.

“I’m sorry, Cas,” Dean says as he steps into Cas’ arms and rests his chin on Cas’ shoulder. “I guess I’m just a bit tense still, well, you know.”

Cas hums but doesn’t say anything as he wraps his arms around Dean and holds him tight. The voices from the kitchen grow louder and Cas narrowly resists a groan as he recognizes Meg’s sultry voice added to the mix.

“Forgive me?” Dean asks, his voice small as he squeezes Cas tighter and starts to sway slightly.

Cas twitches a smile and sighs. “Of course, my love.” He knows Dean only wants to protect him and affection swells in his chest alongside his weariness from the last few days. They’ve been on the move nonstop since they left Stanford six days ago and he just wants to drag Dean into bed and sleep for a week.

“Meg is here,” Cas eventually mumbles and takes a step back.

Dean frowns and glances at the door while Cas digs through his bag for a clean shirt. He feels disgusting from being the road for the last two days even though they stopped just north of Atlanta last night.

“She’s the one who hunts?” Dean asks as he turns around to find a clean shirt for himself.

“Yes. She took first place in the annual boar hunt last fall,” Cas says with a proud smile. Meg is terrifying, but she’s a good friend and he’s missed her.

Dean hums and nods. “Do you think she’ll like me?” Doubt clouds Dean’s gaze and he fidgets with the hem of his shirt.

Cas chuckles and shakes his head. Meg is going to put Dean through the wringer and torment him every bit as much as he expects Gabriel and Balthazar will. “She’s going to love you, but she’ll try to make you hate her.”

Dean frowns and his brows scrunch as he shakes his head.

Cas smiles fondly and digs the laundry basket out of the closet that he left there two years ago. He’s both pleased and saddened that Chuck hasn’t touched his room since he left. He begins emptying his suitcase and gestures for Dean to grab his duffel and do the same.

“Why would she try to make me hate her?” Dean asks just as a loud knock sounds on the door and he flinches from the sudden sound.

Cas rolls his eyes and steps to the door and locks it. “Go away, Meg!” He shouts and Dean’s eyes widen as his jaw drops.

“Clarence! I came all the way from Tallahassee to see you and you tell me to go away?!” Meg shouts as she hammers on the door.

Cas shakes his head and stifles a laugh. “We need a few minutes!” He calls back with a smirk.

“Ooh, you’ve got lover boy in there,” Meg’s voice goes sultry and Cas bites his lip to smother his smile as he stares at Dean. “Take your time boys, I expect a full report,” she says huskily and Dean’s expression turns scandalized.

“Meg,” Cas warns despite the smile on his face. He missed her easily flirtations that they both know will go nowhere. “Come here, Dean,” Cas whispers with a devilish smile.

Dean crosses the room with the now full laundry basket at his hip and he arches a questioning brow. “Laundry?”

Cas waves dismissively at the laundry basket. “Later, come here.” He opens his arms to Dean and kisses him soundly when he steps into Cas’ space. “I want a minute with just us before we face them, just in case.” His friends are a lot to handle by any definition. He’s half-convinced that Gabriel and Balthazar have something diabolical planned that could send Dean running for the hills.

Not that they would explicitly try to drive a wedge between them, but he’s seen how far Gabriel’s pranks can go.

“Just in case what?” Dean asks as he wraps his arms over Cas’ shoulders and starts to sway to a silent tune.

Cas pushes him back and sends Dean’s into a twirl that draws a light breath of laughter from the man and then reels him back in. His hand drifts to Dean’s hip and he smiles as calmly as he can manage while gathering his words. “I told you about the prank wars between Gabriel and Balthazar?”

Dean nods and flexes his fingers on Cas’ hip as they sway together. “I remember you telling me about Gabe putting hair dye in Balthazar’s conditioner. And how Balthazar retaliated by sneaking ghost chili lollipops into Gabe’s candy stash.” Dean huffs a laugh and shakes his head as he wrinkles his nose in disgust.

Cas hums and nods as he lets Dean drop him backward into a dip before they spin grandly. “They’re being a little too friendly for my liking.”

Dean shrugs. “Maybe they’ve just set things aside because they’re happy to see you.”

Cas shakes his head. “They drove together. They’re cooking together. Nothing good can come of their combined attention.”

Dean bites his lip and laughs. “Now Meg is here too.”

Cas nods and tilts his gaze to the ceiling and prays for salvation. “We’re in trouble. I know it. Trust nothing from any of them.”

Dean laughs and shakes his head. “They can’t be that bad.”

Cas pulls back with an arched brow. “They’re my friends and I love them, but they’re a bunch of sadistic, sneaky, assholes.”

Dean barks a laugh kisses the tip of Cas’ nose quickly. “I’m sure everything will be fine.”

\---

Everything is not fine.

Dean’s ears ring as his cheeks redden as he tries to take a deep breath and calm himself. Cas left the room less than five minutes ago to move their laundry into the dryer and Balthazar immediately started in with questions that Dean does not want to answer. “I am not discussing our sex life,” Dean grates for the third time but Balthazar remains undeterred.

“Oh, come on, I’ve been dying to know for _years_ how our dear Cassie is in the sack,” Balthazar whines and Meg smirks as Gabe shrugs and pushes to his feet.

“Balt, if it’s the same to you, wait until after I’ve left to drill the lovebirds,” Gabe says as he strides toward the kitchen.

“Come on, Gabe,” Meg protests. “Clarence is so strait-laced and serious, I want to know...”

“I’ve known that boy since he was five years old, alright? Talking about his sex life is making me feel like a perv.” Gabe protests just as the oven time begins to loudly beep. He grabs a dishtowel and opens the oven to rescue their lasagna.

“You are a perv,” Castiel enters the room with a questioning frown and looks toward Dean just as Meg begins to cackle.

“Not the kind of perv who needs to know how you fuck,” Gabe says, pointing a finger at Cas with a raised brow.

Cas flushes furiously and Dean rises to his feet to cross the room to his side. “None of you need to know,” Dean says with an air of finality as he glares at Meg and then at Balthazar. Balthazar especially doesn’t need to know. Dean huffs and shakes his head when a slow smile starts to spread over the man’s face. “Don’t.”

“Dean? What happened?” Cas asks and swallows hard, searching Dean’s expression with worried blue eyes.

“I think Dean just answered our question.” Balthazar preens. “You’re a bottom, aren’t you, Cassie?”

Cas squawks and Dean growls. “None of your damn business,” Dean bites with a harsh glare. His jaw clenches and his heart rages within his chest.

“Balthazar, can’t you see you’re actually pissing him off?” Meg looks at her friend with an arched brow.

Balthazar shrugs and takes a sip from his whiskey glass with a satisfied smirk.

Meg huffs and pushes to her feet in search of another drink. “I didn’t mean to go _that_ far, I swear,” she says softly in passing on her way to the kitchen and Dean watches her go with narrowed eyes.

Cas takes his hand gently and nudges him toward the couch while side-eyeing Balthazar. “We should put on a movie,” Cas says as he gestures for Dean to retake his seat. “Maybe _Titanic_,” Cas says with a well-aimed glare at Balthazar.

Balthazar groans and Dean goes to the couch with a huff with a huff. “I think dinner is about ready,” Dean says with a huff. “Not sure we have time for a movie, especially _that_.” Fire still burns in his chest and his teeth grind together as Cas strokes his fingers soothingly up and down his arm.

Why would Cas want to watch that horrible movie anyway?

“At least one of you has good sense. Dreadful movie that.” Balthazar dips his chin toward Dean with a playful smirk that he’d love to wipe off the smarmy asshole’s face.

Titanic sounds like a wonderful idea.

“Sooo, Cassie,” Balthazar starts but Cas turns his head sharply and glares. “Okay…”

Cas sucks in a breath and huffs. “Do not demand to know about our sex life,” Cas bites and Dean feels vindicated by the anger in Castiel’s tone.

“Ooh, Clarence is growing claws. You’re good for him Dean,” Meg says huskily from her perch with a smirk.

Dean narrows his eyes, trying to decipher her intent but Cas was right. She wears her beauty like thorny armor and he can’t quite see through her.

Balthazar sighs. “Don’t me wrong, Cas, I’m happy that you’re happy, I just wanna know what makes him so special. You shunned relationships all through college, you weren’t even interested in me! Then Anna says you two were love at first sight?”

Cas sighs and leans forward to bury his head in his hands.

Dean swallows down his irritation and rubs Cas’ back between his shoulder blades and tries to ignore the need to stand up and punch Balthazar.

“Dean and I have known each other for a very long time. I don’t expect you to understand.” Cas scrubs and hand over his face and looks balefully at his friend.

“Then help me understand,” Balthazar says gently, leaning forward in his seat as Gabriel returns to the room.

Cas sighs and looks into his friend’s eyes before giving a wry smile.

He seems inexplicably unruffled by Balthazar’s brash questioning and Dean’s heart skips as he realizes what Balthazar is doing. Cas had warned him but Dean hadn’t understood.

He hadn’t known Cas when Balthazar met him. Cas told him about the nervous, jumpy, guilt-ridden person he was. How anti-social he was and how he struggled to make friends.

How Balthazar strong-armed his way into his life and Meg held him steady while Gabriel coaxed him out from behind the walls he built to protect himself.

They saw Cas at his most fragile and claimed him as theirs. Dean swallows hard and nods to himself.

Cas told him everything but Dean has never seen this side of him.

Not until now.

He pinches a frown and shakes his head as he glances between Cas and Balthazar.

Balthazar is an ass, but he cares in his own way and Dean resolves to try a little harder to look past his abrasive personality.

“Can we just tell them?” Cas looks at Dean pleadingly and Dean pulls back with surprise.

He stares into Cas’ wide, earnest eyes and groans as he reaches for Cas’ hand. “Fine.” He can never deny Cas anything, especially not this if he thinks his friends knowing will help.

“Thank you.” Cas nods and squeezes Dean’s hand before launching into their story without missing a beat. He starts at the beginning when he first saw Dean in that dirty cage and continues through their adolescence and their first kiss.

Balthazar and Meg ask questions, of course, but their exclamations of disbelief slowly quiet as Dean confirms everything Cas is saying and adds his side of the story.

Not for the first time, Dean’s heart aches with the thought of how lost Cas must have felt without someone to talk to. His hand drifts to his pocket and fingers toy with the outline of what’s within before he catches himself and turns his soft smile toward Cas as he tangles their fingers together.

Meg covers her mouth with her hand and her eyes water when Dean tells them how Cas convinced him to run away to Rome and how they hid to avoid the slave catchers until Cas’ birthday passed.

The oven timer interrupts them when Dean starts talking about being harassed by Bernardo and Balthazar leaps to his feet to check on the lasagna while Dean continues his tale.

The brash man has fallen silent since Cas started talking and Dean is gratified to see the sheepish look on his face when he scurries off to the kitchen.

“Hold on, sorry, Dean,” Meg interrupts and Dean falls silent. “All this time, when you put Alder in his place… you knew so much because of your dreams?” Her tone is incredulous and Dean can’t help the snicker that escapes him at the mention of Doctor Adler.

Cas has told him about that asshole before and he would have loved to have seen Cas stand up in front of the class to correct him.

Cas nods and bites his lip. “Yes. I believe that happened about the time Dean became a foreman helping to build the Flavian Amphitheater,” Cas says as he smiles at Dean with pride shining in his eyes.

Dean grins, remembering how proud he was of himself. Heat pools in his groin as he remembers Cas’ reaction to his show of dominance when Jasper confronted him and the night that followed.

“No way!” Meg exclaims as Gabriel squints and tilts his head. “You helped build the Colosseum?” She scoots forward in her chair and Balthazar pokes his head out of the kitchen with a wide-eyed look.

Gabriel sucks in a breath as if about to speak but then clamps his jaw shut and shakes his head with a frown.

“The lasagna’s ready!” Balthazar calls from the kitchen and Dean turns to see him opening and closing cupboards, searching for plates.

“I’ll help set the table, Dean, why don’t you tell Meg more about Inias and Samandriel?” Cas pats Dean’s knee as he pushes to his feet and heads toward the kitchen.

“Inias was the Senator, right?” Meg asks, barely sparing Cas a glance as he leaves the room.

Dean nods, looking into her wide and interested eyes before noticing Gabriel’s frown. “You alright, Gabe?”

“Huh?” Gabe jerks his head upright to look at Dean and settles back in his seat with a smile.

“Are you alright?” Dean repeats with a concerned frown.

“Oh, yeah. Fine.” Gabe shakes his head and forces a smile. “Just a lot to take in.”

“Dinner!” Balthazar calls from the kitchen and Dean looks up to see him lift the heavy dish of lasagna to carry to the table.

“Finally,” Meg says with a roll of her eyes as she unfolds herself from the chair. “You coming, handsome?” She arches a brow at Dean before turning to offer Gabriel her hand. “Come on, short stuff.”

Gabe huffs and shakes his head. “Like you’ve got room to talk.” He cracks a smile but even Dean can tell that it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“So, Dean,” Meg says, batting her lashes as she fills her salad bowl. “You were going to tell us about the Senator, Inias, right?”

Dean hums around his mouthful and catches Cas’ warning glare before he opens his mouth. He swallows hard, forcing his half-chewed food down. “Well, Cas told you that Inias kinda took him under his wing. Turns out, he figured us out from the beginning.”

Balthazar’s eyes widen and his fork pauses on his way to his mouth. “He knew you and Cassie were more than just master and slave? Freedman, sorry,” He says quickly, clearing his throat.

Dean shrugs, nonplussed. “It’s fine. To most people, my status didn’t change anything once Cas freed me. It took a while for me to really realize the difference. But yeah, Inias had us pegged from day one. Turns out, he had an escaped slave for a lover.”

“He didn’t!” Meg gasps. “That’s so dangerous. They didn’t get caught, did they?”

Cas clears his throat and flushes. “We don’t know. They were still safe when we died at least.” He shrugs and turns his attention to the tabletop and Dean can see the cloud that passes over his features with the memory.

Whether from not knowing what fate befell their friends or from the memory of leaving Rome, Dean can’t be sure but, in the end, it doesn’t matter. He takes Cas’ hand and squeezes.

“Wait.” Gabe looks at them with a furrowed brow. “You died?” He asks, tone horrified and he swallows thickly.

Cas nods and Dean sucks in a cleansing breath before answering. “In 79. Cas’ father died, we had to go back to Herculaneum and then the eruption.” Dean trails off and shrugs when his voice threatens to crack.

“Vesuvius?” Balthazar chokes, eyes wide.

Cas nods again and then shakes his head. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Oh my god, Clarence,” Meg whimpers and pushes from her chair to drag Cas into a seated hug. Dean lets Cas go and stomps down on the twinge of jealousy when Cas wraps his arms around her slim waist and leans his cheek against her stomach.

“I thought it was a coping mechanism,” Gabriel mutters and draws everyone’s attention. The man swallows hard, looking incredibly pale. He sucks in a breath and closes his eyes. “After your sixth birthday. For a few months, you talked non-stop about Dean. Called him your best friend,” Gabe says while shaking your head. “I thought it was cute until you said that he was your slave.”

Cas blanches and turns to Dean with wide eyes as Meg and Balthazar gasp and turn to face him.

Dean’s heart hammers in his chest and a deep flush creeps up his neck, heating his cheeks as he stares into Cas’ worried eyes.

“I don’t remember,” Cas says, shaking his head.

Gabriel lets out a bitter laugh and toys with his napkin as he sheepishly meets Cas’ eyes. “The way you were talking scared me. I snapped at you, told you to quit pretending. You never mentioned Dean after that.”

Cas tilts his head and narrows his eyes as his hand finds Dean’s and their fingers tangle together. “You couldn’t have known.”

Gabe shakes his head and stares at Dean with an apology in his eyes. “I don’t know how this is possible.”

Dean shrugs and offers Gabriel a wry smile. “Neither do we, but here we are,” he tries to joke but his words fall flat.

Balthazar snorts and shakes his head, trying to smile. “You’ve always been a strange one, Cassie. I guess this explains how you resisted pining after me for all these years,” he says as he bats his eyelashes dramatically.

Dean huffs and shakes his head as Cas barks a laugh. “You are so not my type, Bal.” He squeezes Dean’s hand as Meg plops back into her chair and smiles at the two of them.

Balthazar laughs and tosses his napkin at Cas with mock irritation and with that, the conversation becomes much more lighthearted.

Balthazar flushes crimson when Gabriel explains how they came to prank ceasefire. Turns out, lacing Gabriel’s coffee pot with laxatives when his new girlfriend was staying over was dangerous to Balthazar’s health.

“I don’t care what you say, Gabe. Kali is terrifying.” Balthazar points with wide eyes and Gabriel laughs heartily.

“It’s not my fault you messed with someone trained in all sorts of martial arts,” Gabriel says as he shakes his head.

“She threatened to castrate me!” Balthazar gulps and Dean cannot help the snort of laughter that forces itself out at Balthazar’s scandalized expression.

“You would have deserved it,” Meg says smugly over the rim of her beer bottle.

“No one deserves that.” Balthazar shakes his head with a glare that makes Cas chuckle.

They continue to chat and Dean slowly decides that maybe he doesn’t hate Balthazar as much he first thought and Meg is kinda awesome despite her rough edges.

“We should get going, Bal,” Gabriel says as he nudges Balthazar with his elbow when Cas yawns widely. “You guys are going to be in town for a few days, right?”

Dean nods and stifles a yawn of his own. “Until Saturday.”

“Good, I know Anna wants to see you before you go,” Balthazar says as he collects their plates. He and Gabe load the dishwasher while Cas whispers with Meg.

Dean sighs and shakes his head fondly.

Cas’ friends are good people, even if they are a little bit insane.

He’s glad they were there for Cas when he couldn’t be.

“I’m going to take a shower, babe,” Dean says with a smile as he leans in to leave a chaste kiss on Cas’ cheek.

Cas turns to look at him with wide eyes and he tilts his head slightly when Dean shrugs.

“I feel gross from the road and you could use some alone time with your friends.” Dean waves a hand toward Meg and the two men in the kitchen.

Cas nods and bites his lip as he glances at Meg’s arched brow. “I’ll be to bed soon,” he promises.

Dean draws Cas into a tender kiss and runs his fingers through his dark locks. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

“He’s a keeper, Clarence,” Dean hears Meg say softly as he walks down the hall to their room and he smiles as his fingers toy with the small bump in his pocket.

His heart beats faster as he smiles to himself and gathers his shower things.

Not yet, but soon.

\---

“Rufus!” Cas shouts from halfway down the pier with a wide grin. The familiar sight of his friend leaning against the railing, surrounded by poles makes his heart soar.

Rufus turns with narrowed eyes. “Yer, scarin the fish, dumbass,” He shouts back, no quieter than Cas and with a wide grin on his face.

Cas nearly bounces as he walks, glad to see Rufus after so long away and excited to introduce Dean to his oldest friend.

Dean trudges behind him, weighed down by the heavy tackle box Cas had dug out of Chuck’s garage and the bucket of shrimp that he’s been eyeing warily since they left the bait shop.

Cas is still shocked that Dean had allowed the live creatures and their bucket of salt water into his car, but he had only clenched his eyes shut and nodded to himself as Cas had carefully secured the bucket between his feet on the floorboard.

“Who’s this?” Rufus grumbles even as he pulls Cas into a back-clapping hug.

Cas pulls back and takes a deep breath as he gestures Dean forward. “This is Dean. My boyfriend.” He holds his breath, waiting.

He’s never discussed his sexuality or dating with Rufus. For every bit as he is certain that Rufus won’t care, he’s afraid that he will.

Rufus narrows his dark eyes at Dean, watching as he steps forward with his hand outstretched and a shaky smile on his face.

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Dean says and Rufus scowls.

“Woulda thought this one would have told you not to call me ‘sir’,” Rufus grumbles as he shoots a glare at Cas.

Dean bites his lip and swallows hard as he steps back hesitantly.

“Good to see someone’s finally made an honest man outta you, boy” Rufus’ grumpy façade finally cracks to reveal a soft smile and Cas lets out a relieved breath. “He the reason you ain’t come around to see me in years?” He arches an accusing brow even as he holds his hand toward Dean.

“You know I told you I was going to school,” Cas says with an eyeroll.

“Yeah, yeah.” Rufus waves his arm dismissively. “Dean, right? You ever been fishing?”

Dean shrugs and smiles nervously as he looks at the array of heavy fishing gear surrounding Rufus’ chair. “Just on the lakes back home,” He admits and Rufus rolls his eyes.

“Lake fishin ain’t nothin like Gulf fishin,” Rufus says with a huff. “An where’s home? Since this one has no manners it seems.” He waves dismissively at Cas but his eyes gleam with pride.

Dean sucks in a deep breath as Cas goes about getting their gear ready. “Lawrence, Kansas.”

Rufus nods. “An old buddy of mine lives in Lawrence. You ever hear of Bobby Singer?”

Cas’ heart all but stops and he drops the pole in his hands as he turns to stare at Rufus. “You know Bobby?” He and Dean say in unison before Dean clears his throat.

“Bobby Singer is practically my Uncle,” He says, tone colored with confusion as he stares at Rufus.

“How do you know Bobby?” Cas asks, reclaiming the dropped fishing pole with a furious blush when Rufus eyes him critically.

Rufus huffs a laugh. “Bobby is the most stubborn coot I ever met. He and I served together till I got hurt,” He says as he holds up his arm.

Dean narrows his eyes and shakes his head. “Bobby and my Dad served together.”

Rufus smirks and turns away to cast his line. “What’d ya say your last name is?” He asks with an arched brow once his line hits the water.

“Winchester,” Dean and Cas say in unison and Cas swears his heart is about to beat out of his chest. Has he really had a thin connection to Dean for years before they met? He shakes his head and swallows hard.

Impossible.

Rufus nods and his smirk grows. “John always was a stubborn hard ass. Haven’t heard from him in years though. He doin alright?”

Cas’ stomach clenches and he thinks he might be sick.

Dean nods before turning his wide-eyed gaze on Castiel.

“You knew Dean’s dad?” Cas voice comes out as a bare squeak. He knew Rufus served but he never would have guessed that his mentor would have known his soulmates family.

Rufus shrugs. “Military is a small world, boy. Now, you gonna set a line or what?” He nods at the poles sitting abandoned on the pier.

Dean huffs and shakes his head with a disbelieving smile. “I guess we know why Bobby always reminded you of Rufus,” he says softly as he bumps his shoulder against Cas’.

Cas barks a frantic laugh and shakes his head as a grin spreads over his features. “This is unbelievable.”

Dean laughs and reaches for a pole. “Everything about us is unbelievable.”

For the next few minutes, Rufus quizzes them on their schooling and their lives over the past two years while eyeing Dean critically. Cas doesn’t miss how Rufus’ gaze tracks their movements and the soft curl of a smile that develops when Dean nearly shrieks in horror when he reaches into to the bait bucket to grab a thrashing shrimp.

“Gotta grip them tight around the middle,” Rufus chides when Dean comes up empty-handed. “Cas tell you about the barbs?”

Dean looks at Rufus with wide eyes and nods before he frowns and swallows hard. Cas can see his resolve harden and the determined set of his jaw when he reaches in again and Dean grins when he holds up a shrimp, victorious.

“Now, you have to put a hook through it.” Cas grins cheekily, already knowing that Dean is going to squirm through this part.

Dean nods gravely and reaches for the end of the line that Cas holds out to him. He follows Cas’ directions perfectly despite turning a little green around the collar and whispering apologies to the shrimp as he drives the sharp point through the length of its body.

Cas sidles up behind him and wraps his arms around Dean’s back as he closes his hands over Dean’s on the reel to show him how to cast. He whispers quietly in Dean’s ear as they make the motions together and Dean whines when Cas steps away to let Dean try.

Cas’ heart flutters when Dean pulls his arm back and lets the line fly with an excited smile that turns into a pout when the shrimp plops into the water only a handful of feet from the pier. “Better than my first try,” Cas says with a shrug as he leans in and kisses the pout from Dean’s lips.

Dean shakes his head with dismay, “but you were just a little kid.”

Rufus snorts and shakes his head fondly. “Most determined little kid I ever met though.”

Cas looks at Rufus and smiles as pride swells in his chest. This feels so right, bringing Dean here. The warmth in the salty breeze ruffling Dean’s hair as he stares out at the water warms Cas’ heart as much as it does his skin. A vast change from the chilly Illinois spring they endured a few days ago and the sun on Dean’s bronzed skin suites him.

“I love you,” Cas mutters as he leans into Dean’s space and kisses him chastely on the cheek as he wraps his arm around Dean’s back to rest a hand on his hip.

Dean leans into him with a contented sigh. “I’m glad we came,” he says softly into the space between them. “Oh shit. Shit, Cas! I think I got something!” Dean cries out and jerks away as he begins to frantically bring in his line.

The reel hisses and screams against the strain and Cas quickly covers Dean’s hand with his. “Slow down. You want to tire it out, not muscle it in.” Cas’ heart pounds and a wide grin stretches his lips.

Dean nods, his eyes bright with excitement and Rufus chuckles as Dean lets the line run. “Like this?”

Cas nods. “Let it run out, then coax it in. Back and forth until the fight drains out of it.”

Dean does as Cas says and his pole bends terrifyingly as the creature on the end his line zips away from the pier. “Cas?” Dean mutters when the bright red fish breaks the surface and Cas can feel Dean’s flinch of surprise. “What was that!?

“That there is a snapper, boy. Damn good eatin if you can bring it in.” Rufus comes to stand at Dean’s side, his multiple lines forgotten as he watches Dean struggle.

Cas nearly bounces as he talks Dean through bringing the fish in and eventually, Dean is pulling the exhausted fish up the side of the pier and Rufus is there to guide it over the railing.

“Well done,” Rufus says with a proud gleam in his eye as Cas collects the fish to measure. “How big is it?

Cas pulls out the tape and unravels it. “Dean, hold the fish still.” He gestures to the lazily flopping fish and Dean swallows hard.

“You want me to touch it?” Dean gulps and Cas can’t help the snicker that escapes.

“Yes, Dean. I want you to touch it.” Cas rolls his eyes as he smiles up at his boyfriend.

“Gut it and scale it too,” Rufus adds with a snarky grin.

“Gut it?” Dean questions, eyes going wide and his voice comes out nearly a squeak.

“Yes, Dean.” Cas grins. “We have to clean it before we can eat it. But first, you need to hold it still go I can make sure it's legal.” He knows full well this one is legal, it might be a foot over the minimum but he isn’t going to tell that to Dean.

Dean nods and crouches to hold the fish with a grimace and Cas tries not to laugh as he remembers his first fish.

It had seemed huge to him when he was twelve but looking back, he’s pretty sure that one wasn’t of legal size. Most of the snappers he’s caught since then have been quite a bit larger.

He glances at Rufus and feels gratitude swell in his chest. Even when they first met, Rufus seemed to know that Cas getting food in his stomach was more important than the fishing law that would have said his fish was an inch too small.

Cas pulls himself from his memories and gives Dean an unimpressed look. When Lucius took them fishing, Dean was always the first one to grab for the fish. Not everything can remain the same, it seems.

Dean finally overcomes his hesitation and presses the fish flat against the pier with a grimace that Cas tries hard not to laugh at. “Twenty-six,” Cas says, looking up at Rufus with a smile. “Now that we’ve caught dinner, would you come over to eat with us tonight?”

Rufus laughs and smiles broadly. “And pass up your cooking? I may be old but I’m not stupid. Of course, I’ll come over. You stayin at Chuck’s?”

Cas nods and turns to Dean with a vicious smirk. “You caught it, you clean it.”

Dean pales and swallows thickly as he glances toward the cleaning station they passed on the way in. “I don’t know how,” Dean says, pleading with his eyes for a way out.

Rufus shrugs. “Thems the rules, boy. Cas’ll show you how.”

“Come on, it’s not hard,” Cas says with a wave at the fish. “I was twelve when Rufus taught me.”

Dean picks up the fish gingerly and Cas huffs with a smile as he leans close. “Do you not remember how Lucius taught us?” He chuckles as he adjusts Dean’s hold so he has one hand near the fish’s tail and the other just under its mouth.

Dean grumbles something unintelligible and then whimpers when the fish mounts a weak protest.

Cas directs Dean’s motions but makes no move to take over for him. Rufus was right. Cleaning your own fish is rule number two of fishing. Rule number one is baiting your own hook.

“You good with staying a little longer?” Cas asks once the fish is cleaned and packed away on ice.

Dean scowls at his filthy hands and eyes the bathroom at the end of the pier longingly. “Yeah, just need to,” he says as he holds his hands up, “you know.”

Cas chuckles and nods. “I’ll be here when you’re done.” He leans forward to kiss Dean on the cheek before nudging him in the general direction of the bathroom.

He watches Dean go with a soft smile playing on his lips until Rufus startles him by dropping a heavy hand on his shoulder.

“That boys good for you,” Rufus says, softer than Cas is accustomed to hearing. “You’re happier than I ever seen you.”

He nods and feels his eyes burn. “You approve?”

Rufus smiles warmly and nods. “Boy was raised by John Winchester and Bobby Singer? Don’t need to know him to know he’s a good man.”

Cas swallows against the lump in his throat and he shakes his head with a disbelieving laugh. “I can’t believe you knew his family. From the minute I met Bobby, he reminded me of you.”

Rufus huffs and shakes his head. “I’m glad you found a family worth having.”

Cas leans closer and bumps Rufus’ shoulder. “You’re my family too old man.”

“Watch who you’re calling old,” Rufus grumbles as he turns away. “We gonna fish or not?”

Cas watches his oldest friend adjust his lines and he pointedly does not comment on way the man’s eyes water. “Yeah, we’re gonna fish. Can’t have Dean showing me up on his first time.”

Cas quickly baits his hook and by the time he settles in next to Rufus, Dean has returned and wraps an arm around his waist and leans in close. Together they watch the sun’s reflection sparkle and glint along the surface of the gentle waves as the car drive by on the bridge leading to Port Charlotte.

Cas lets out a deep breath and sinks into Dean’s hold as he watches his line disappear into the water, waiting for a fish to investigate. This is perfect, more perfect than he ever imagined he would have and he isn’t letting it go any time soon.

They’re heading back to Lawrence in a few days to spend some time with Dean’s family and Cas is looking forward to spending a few weeks in the warmth of the Winchester home.


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas end their road trip with a visit that has been a long time coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has stuck with this little AU. Your kind words have brought me to tears at times and made my heart swell with happiness. You've encouraged me to keep going and dig deeper, so thank you. A million times over.
> 
> Also, the sap is strong with this chapter. Be prepared.

Dean glances at Cas in the driver’s seat as the Impala tears down the freeway through Nowhere, Missouri. The wind roaring through the open windows whips through Castiel’s hair as he mouths the words to Back in Black that is blaring through the car speakers.

These are the moments when Dean wishes time could stop. Both of them, carefree and happy until the end of time. Their distant past made even more distant by the easiness between them and the lack of expectations. The cloud of fear they valiantly tried to ignore in Herculaneum and then in Rome holds no power anymore. The pain of being separated by space and time, connected only by their dreams, has dulled into memory almost as distant as Dean’s servitude.

Dean looks at Cas and sees everything. His past, his future, his key to happiness and success. With Cas by his side, they can conquer the world. Even if their schooling didn’t hold the promise of a future studying their past, earning their living sharing the knowledge they’ve held since they were children, this would be enough.

Just being together is enough.

He reaches over and gives Cas’ shoulder a nudge, earning him a sideways glance as a broad smile stretches over Cas’ lips.

Dean waits for the next verse, tapping his foot in time with the music until he begins to belt the lyrics as loud as he can without making his voice crack.

_Nobody's gonna get me on another rap  
So look at me now_

Cas laughs, so Dean continues the song.

_I'm just makin' my play  
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way_

Once the verse ends, he nudges Cas again and gestures for him to join in. Cas shakes his head with a laugh, throwing his head back while keeping his eyes on the road.

“Come on!” Dean cheers, grinning widely before starting in again.

_'Cause I'm back_  
Yes, I'm back  
Well, I'm back  
Yes, I'm back  
Well, I'm back, back  
Well, I'm back in black  
Yes, I'm back in black

Cas joins halfway through, hesitant at first but nearly shouting along with Dean by the end as his fingers drum on the steering wheel.

Two days of this, nothing but open road in front of them and each other for company has Dean’s spirits soaring. Home is only a few hours away and he’s looking forward to cramming into his childhood bed with Cas wrapped around him as they process the last week and a half.

He’s so proud of Cas that he can barely contain the joyous ache in his heart. They haven’t talked about Illinois, Cas had asked him for time and Dean intends to give him what he needs but Dean has high hopes that the Novaks will become part of Cas’ life.

Their life.

“What?” Cas asks with laughter in his tone and Dean quickly turns his head away as cheeks redden.

“Nothing,” Dean dismisses with a shake of his head before turning to look at Cas with his bottom lip pinched between his teeth. “Just admiring how good you look behind the wheel.” His cheeks heat further when Cas throws his head back and laughs freer than Dean’s heard in a long time.

Cas shakes his head. “I thought I was supposed to the sappy one?”

Dean huffs and waves out the windshield in front of them. “Eyes on the road,” he chastises but the grumpiness in his tone is softened with a smile.

Three hours later, Cas steers Baby into the Winchester’s driveway and Dean all but flies from the car. His knee has been bouncing with the need to pee for the last hundred miles but he didn’t want to stop.

Now, he’s wishing they had.

“Gotta go, Cas,” he blurts as he slams the door behind him and sprints for the house with keys in hand.

“Dean?” Mary opens the door before Dean can try the handle.

“Hi, Mom! Just need a minute!” He jogs past her into the house and whimpers as he slams the bathroom door behind him.

When he emerges, Cas has already grabbed their luggage from the backseat and is downstairs with Mary in the kitchen. Dean smiles to himself as he listens to Cas assure her that they had a good trip and Dean turns the corner in time to see his mom drag Cas into a tight hug.

His arms wrap around her slim waist and he drops his head onto her shoulder as his eyes slide closed like he’s had a mom to hug his entire life.

Dean’s stomach squirms with how happy seeing Cas happy makes him and the small bump in his pocket feels heavier than ever.

Tomorrow.

“There you are,” Mary says when she releases Cas and notices Dean leaning against the entryway to the kitchen. “I thought that was you running in here, but you disappeared so fast I couldn’t be sure.”

“Hi Mom,” Dean says again, this time with his arms open.

“I’m glad you boys are here. Your dad should be home in an hour or so, they’ve been swamped down at the garage lately so he’s been picking up extra hours.” Mary squeezes Dean tighter than her size might suggest her capable of and Dean narrowly holds back a gasp at the pressure on his ribs.

“We’re glad to be off the road,” Cas says diplomatically even as he fights a yawn. “Been looking forward to being here for days.”

“Why don’t you two get cleaned up, dinner is almost ready.” She swats Dean’s shoulder and nudges them out of the kitchen.

Dean yawns and smiles down at his mom. “Might catch a quick nap.”

She narrows her eyes and looks between them. “As long as that isn’t code for anything I don’t want to hear.”

Cas lets out a burst of rough laughter and shakes his head. “No, ma’am. Promise.”

She shoos them away with a shake of her head and Dean follows Cas up the stairs with his duffel bag in hand.

“We’re gonna have to do laundry again tonight,” Dean says as he tosses his back onto the bed. Somewhere over the last two years, this has become _their_ room despite being Dean’s childhood home. He can barely remember the last time he was here without Cas, let alone slept without him by his side.

He doesn’t want to remember.

Cas nods and chews his lip as he sets his suitcase next to Dean’s. “Yeah,” he says absently and Dean watches as he slowly unzips his bag and pushes the top back. Bundled carefully on top of his clothes is the baby blanket.

This is the first Dean has seen of the powder blue blanket since they left Illinois, and he can’t help but reach out and brush his fingertips over the soft cotton fabric. “What are you going to do with it?” Dean asks softly, feeling Cas stiffen beside him.

Cas sighs and lifts the still folded bundle into his arms and brings it close to his chest. “I thought my mom threw him away,” he whispers as his fingers toy with the ears coming off the corner. He meets Dean’s gaze with sadness clouding his eyes. “I was wrong about so much.”

Dean’s fingers twitch with the need to draw Cas into his arms but the yawning pit in his stomach stops him. He forces a half-smile as he reaches up to stroke the ears of the blanket. His fingers brush against Cas’ before he notices something odd at the bottom corner. “What’s this?” 

Dean tugs at the worn edge of a photograph and Cas tilts his head as Dean takes in the scene in front of him.

Two little boys, barely toddlers, dressed in Christmas pajamas clutching matching bunny blankets and grinning widely at the camera. “Cas,” Dean breathes, already feeling the sting of tears burning in his eyes as he turns the picture around.

Cas’ breath catches as he reaches out to take the picture and his mouth stretches into a slow smile. “I remember this.” He looks to Dean as his eyes begin to glisten. “This was right after our birthday, not long before Jimmy…” Cas trails off and swallows hard as he clutches the blanket tighter to his chest.

Dean steps into Cas’ space and wraps his arms around him, trapping the bunny and the photograph between them as he holds Cas tightly.

Cas doesn’t need to finish this thought for Dean to know.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do?” Dean asks quietly.

Cas sniffles but his eyes are dry as he nods against Dean’s shoulder. “I want to know them.”

Butterflies erupt in Dean’s stomach and he can’t help his answering smile.

“They, they’re the only connection I have to Jimmy, my mom,” Cas mutters. “I deserve to know who they are.”

Dean grins, hearing Missouri’s voice in Cas’ words and he’s never been more grateful for her help over the last two years. “Yes, you do.”

“You’re not upset?” Cas asks, his voice small and timid.

Dean pulls back with furrowed brows as he seeks Cas’ gaze. “Why would I be upset?”

Cas licks his lips and his eyes drop to the blanket still clutched in his hands. “I, your family has been so great, taking me in, I… I don’t want you to think that isn’t enough.”

Dean’s chest twinges and a lump forms in his throat. “Cas, please, look at me.” Dean wraps his hands around Cas’ and squeezes. “You deserve to know your family.” Dean shakes his head as he stares deeply into Cas’ eyes. “I love you, so much. Sam loves you, my parents… we all love you. No one would be upset with you for wanting to get to know the only family you have left.”

Cas shakes his head with a tender smile. “You’re my family, all of you.”

Dean swallows hard and fights the urge to drop to one knee with everything he has. Now isn’t the time. “We’re lucky to have you, and they will be too.” He presses a chaste kiss to Cas’ brow despite the thundering of his heart and he smiles. “Now, let's find a frame for this.” He touches the edge of the photograph. “I’m sure Mom has an extra that will do until we can find something perfect.”

Cas swallows hard and nods. “You think she’d let me borrow one?”

Dean tries his best not to huff and shake his head. The idea that Mary would deny Cas something so simple is absurd. “Of course.” He shrugs. “Let’s go talk to her.”

Cas nods and chews his lip as he sets the bunny blanket on top of his suitcase and holds the photograph in one hand while reaching for Dean with his other.

The air is filled with the smell of roasted chicken when they venture down the stairs and Mary is humming to herself as she beats the mashed potatoes with her electric mixer. Dean steps behind her quietly and rests his chin on her shoulder without warning. “Let me, Mom.”

Mary jumps and flicks the mixer off as Dean takes a step back with a grin. “You startled me,” she says as she places a hand over her heart with a smile.

“Cas has a question for you, I can finish up here.” Dean shrugs and reaches for the mixer, noting the large hunks of melted butter with satisfaction. His mom’s mashed potatoes are the best.

“Alright. Don’t over mix them,” she says as a reminder before turning toward where Cas is leaning against the counter, staring down at the photo in his hands.

Dean rolls his eyes and waves her away before giving Cas a firm nod and smile.

“What do you have there?” Mary asks as she crosses the space, gaze fixated on the photograph. “Oh, my goodness, they’re adorable! Is that you?” She tilts her head to see upside down and Cas hands her the picture with a faint smile.

“Me and my brother, about a month before he died, I think.” Cas squares his shoulders and tries to look nonchalant, but Dean can easily read his nervous tics as he watches from afar.

Dean clicks the mixer on and tries to focus on the task at hand. The loud whir muffles their voices, but from his mom’s watery eyes and the way she throws her arms over Cas’ shoulders to drag him close, Dean is guessing that Cas is telling her about meeting his grandparents in Illinois and his assumption is confirmed when he shuts off the mixer and declares the potatoes finished.

“I think I have the perfect frame for this in the hall closet, come look with me?” Mary says as she guides Cas away with a hand on the middle of his back and Dean’s heart absolutely melts watching Cas lean into the motherly touch.

Dean busies himself fixing the last of the dinner Mary had started. The chicken is done, keeping warm in the turned-off oven as he spoons the mashed potatoes into a serving bowl that he tucks under the heat vent. A bag of frozen peas is sitting on the counter, so Dean heats those too and adds a spoonful of soft butter when the microwave signals that they’re finished.

He can hear soft murmurs coming from deeper in the house, but he keeps himself busy by setting the table, determined to give his mom and Cas some alone time.

Cas won’t admit to it, but Dean knows how much he loves having a supportive and caring mother figure in his life. The way his blue eyes lit up happily when Mary introduced him as her third son to her co-workers last Christmas said enough.

“Dean, good to see you, son,” John says as he shoulders through the door just as Dean is setting the final setting of silverware at the head of the table. John drops his duffel of dirty work clothes and drags Dean into a back-clapping hug.

“Hey, Dad,” Dean says with a broad smile.

“When did you boys get in?” John rakes his scrutinizing gaze from Dean’s hair to his toes, confirming that his son is whole and well. He’s pleased with what he finds and collects his bag to take to the laundry room without another word.

Dean follows, glancing up the stairs and wondering when Mary and Cas will make an appearance. “An hour or so ago. Mom’s helping Cas find a picture frame. You know how I told you that Illinois didn’t quite go as expected?”

John grunts in affirmation as he dumps his clothes into the washing machine. “You said you’d explain later.”

Dean nods. “Yeah. We, uh, we ran into Cas’ grandparents at the cemetery.”

John jerks his head back and turns to face Dean with a furrowed brow. “Grandparents? I didn’t know he had grandparents left.”

Dean gives a tight smile and nods. “Neither did he.”

John huffs with disbelief and shakes his head. “I bet that was quite the shock.”

“It was.” Dean nods. “Anyways, we had dinner with them, started to get to know them a bit. They gave Cas his baby blanket and some pictures of him and his brother. Mom’s helping him find a frame for one of them now.”

John whistles and shakes his head slowly. “How’s he holding up?”

Dean sucks in a breath and nods. They haven’t kept Cas’ therapy a secret, they refused to feel shame for doing something to help Cas work through his childhood trauma and his parents have been nothing less than supportive. But, that doesn’t mean that Dean is comfortable talking about Cas behind his back. “He’s doing pretty good, actually. I think the work he’s done with Missouri has helped a lot.”

John nods. “They good people?” He doesn’t need to elaborate for Dean to understand who his dad is referring to.

“They seem to be. Rachel and Andrew Novak are their names. They looked at Cas like he was a ghost who hung the moon.” Dean shrugs. That entire evening still feels surreal but he’s so glad they went.

“Good. The boy deserves to have more than just us for family. They gonna keep in touch?” John fixes Dean with an arched brow as he closes the lid on the washing machine and starts the cycle.

Dean nods. “Yeah, I think so.” He bites his cheek and looks at the wall behind his dad before steeling his nerve with a nod. “Speaking of Cas. You know a Rufus Turner?”

His dad freezes and turns to Dean with a look of surprise. “How do you know Rufus?”

Dean shrugs, trying to be casual. “He, uh, he kinda saved Cas’ life when he was a kid.” Dean will not be convinced otherwise no matter how the old fisherman had deflected.

His dad’s brows shoot nearly to his hairline before he breaks into a wide smile. He shakes his head with a disbelieving huff. “Rufus always was a good man. A good friend even if he’s the orneriest old coot I ever met.”

Dean nods, unable to disagree.

“How’d Cas get to know Rufus?” John asks and Dean swallows hard.

Cas has always been tight-lipped about the details of his childhood with anyone other than Dean and Missouri, and he isn’t sure that Cas would welcome Dean saying anything more than has already been said.

“He taught me how to fish so I wouldn’t starve, kept me in line when everything else in my life was falling apart.” Cas saves Dean from answering as he comes around the corner with a soft smile. “Without him, I would be dead or in jail.”

“Sorry, Cas. I was just telling Dad about meeting Rufus and…” Dean starts but Cas silences him a wave of his hand.

“It’s okay, Dean.” Cas comes to a stop at Dean’s side, his proximity warm and comforting. “Rufus was the only adult I could trust growing up. He taught me how to feed myself when my mother was too high to bother coming home. He was ready to kick my ass when he found out I was dealing drugs to pay the bills, convinced me to find a real job. Gave me my first tie when I graduated high school.” Cas huffs a laugh and shakes his head at the memory. Dean knows that Cas keeps that tie in pristine condition and wears it any time he has to do something important. “Rufus was my family long before I knew what that meant.”

John blinks through the info dump and his jaw parts slightly, at loss for words. Those few sentences contain more details about the nightmare Cas went through as a child than anything he’s said in the last two years.

“Oh, there you are. I thought I heard you come in,” Mary breezes into the laundry room and gives her husband a quick kiss before noticing the heaviness in the air. She looks at John’s glassy eyes and watches him swallow hard before she turns her curious gaze on Dean and Castiel.

“Dinners all set, Mom,” Dean says with a little too much cheer and Mary’s eyes narrow further.

“What’s going on?” She asks, looking between the three men with wariness growing in her expression.

“I was just telling John about…” Cas starts but John interrupts.

“Their trip,” John says. “Turns out Cas is good friends with an old buddy of mine from the Marines.”

Mary smiles broadly. “The military is such a small world, isn’t it?”

Dean shrugs. Rufus said the same and he isn’t going to argue with that. He’ll let Cas decide if he wants to repeat his speech or leave it between the three of them.

“So it seems,” Cas says with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

“You said something about dinner?” John looks to Dean with the hope for a distraction shining in his eyes.

“Yeah, mom did all the work.” Dean shrugs and gestures toward the kitchen.

“It’s nothing much, really,” Mary says with a dismissive wave.

Cas smiles warmly as he gestures for Mary to lead the way. “I’m sure it’s wonderful.”

\---

Dean’s palms sweat against Baby’s steering wheel and his toe taps in the footwell. Cas gives him an unimpressed look for his fidgeting, but the forty-minute drive from Lawrence to Overland Park has never felt so long.

“Dean.” Cas’ voice cuts over the music from the stereo as his hand settles on Dean’s thigh just above his knee. “We don’t have to go.”

Dean swallows hard and shakes his head. “No. I’m good.” He isn’t nervous about the exhibit. He is far more terrified of the question he plans to ask than he is of facing Castiel’s mother for the first time in almost two thousand years.

In fact, he’s looking forward to giving her one final _screw you_ today.

He imagines she would be rolling over in her grave if she had one.

He glances at Cas and gives a watery smile as he drops his hand from the wheel to tangle their fingers together and they stay that way until Dean cranks the wheel to pull into the museum parking lot.

Dean’s heart flutters as he searches for a spot, knowing that his parents are on the road somewhere behind him and Benny and Charlie are already here.

He glances at Cas only to see him staring out the window absently.

“You ready for this?” Dean asks softly. He doesn’t want to break the calm bubble inside the car no matter how violently his stomach flutters when Cas turns his head toward him.

Cas sucks in a slow breath and pinches his mouth into a frown. “I don’t think I will ever be ready. Since the eruption, I’ve been dreaming about confronting her but now that I know she’s just inside?” He gestures at the looming concrete building in front of them and shakes his head. “I don’t know…”

One side of Dean’s mouth curls into a smile and he nods with understanding. “She can’t hurt us anymore. She can’t do anything.”

Cas’ throat flexes as he swallows hard and nods. “Shall we?”

They cross the parking lot and Dean pays for their tickets while Cas picks up a map of the museum. Their goal is the special exhibit hall, but Dean hasn’t been here since a fifth-grade field trip so they’re planning on saving The Ring Lady for last.

Which means Dean has another hour or two of being a nervous wreck to look forward to.

Peachy.

He discreetly checks his phone when Cas tilts his chin upward to stare into the skeletal eyes of a tyrannosaurus rex and barely holds back his snort of disapproval at the lack of new messages.

Meg was supposed to text him when she and Gabe got into town.

His hand slips into Cas’ as they explore room after room and Dean’s heart rate increases with each passing exhibit. More than once, Cas gives him a curious look but Dean shrugs off his concern.

If anyone has a reason to be nervous about seeing Portia for the first time since they died, Dean does and he refuses to be robbed of that right. His hands tremble if he thinks about too deeply about facing her one last time, but his nervousness also holds an undercurrent of pride.

There is nothing she can do to them anymore.

He follows Cas through the exhibits, trying to focus on the myriad of fossils and artifacts on display but none of them can manage to hold his interest as strongly as the man by his side.

He is acutely aware of every breath Cas takes, every time that he moves subtly closer and every nervous tic that gives away his deeper feelings about seeing Portia’s remains.

Cas hums and leans close to read each small plaque and to carefully inspect each item as if the harsh reality of their past isn’t just a few short rooms away.

His act is almost convincing, but they’ve already faced worse and come out stronger.

A few bones and plaster casts are nothing compared to standing in Castiel’s ruined bedroom in Herculaneum and staring up at the mountain that took their lives in a furious explosion of ash and fire.

Dean lets out a careful sigh an hour later when his phone vibrates in his pocket but he only checks his messages when Cas is once again distracted.

_Meg: Traffic was a bitch. We’re finally inside._

Dean smiles softly to himself. After months of planning, there is only one thing left to do.

He opens the group text and types out his message while keeping an eye on the back of Castiel’s head.

_Dean: Meet us at the exhibit in fifteen. You know what to do._

“You ready?” Dean asks as he tucks his phone away. Cas seems none the wiser when he gives Dean a soft nod and Dean’s heart patters wildly. The swell of affection in his chest threatens to suffocate him in the most delicious way and he suddenly cannot fathom why his stomach twists nervously.

Unfortunately, knowing that he has no reason to be nervous only makes his stomach squirm more.

They wander toward the special exhibition hall as Dean’s pretend calm will allow. Cas’ hand is warm in his and they don’t part even when they hand their tickets to be stamped by the exhibit attendant.

Dean’s palm is sweating, he can feel the sticky dampness plastered against Cas’ skin and he closes his eyes and begs whatever god might be listening for strength. He smiles softly when he notices Cas give him yet another curious look and Dean shrugs to dismiss his concern.

He’s got this.

His Dad told him that it’s perfectly normal and okay to be nervous right now and Dean is going to cling to that advice with everything he has.

The first display they come to is a cast of a guard dog left chained to his duty in Pompeii. The pitiful creature is twisted in agony and Cas lets out a soft gasp and he crouches lower to get a better look. Dean feels a hint of a tear beginning to prickle in his eyes as he looks between the dog and Cas.

This entire room is filled with reminders of how horribly their first life together ended and Dean can barely reign in the moisture pooling in his eyes as he tilts his chin upward and thanks Fate for their second chance with every fiber of his being.

He can’t help but wonder how many times Fate tried and failed to bring them together. How many lives passed before they were born in an era where finding each other became possible? Hell, even in an era where they could be together without society condemning them.

Dean shakes his head and swallows hard when Cas rises from his crouch and laces their fingers together to tug Dean along to the next display.

This time, they’re staring at a collection of coins and other metalwork excavated from the ruined cities. A lead pitcher taken from Herculaneum, a gladius taken from Pompeii, various nails and pins that are interesting but mean little to them.

Common, everyday objects that are still used today. Dean is awed that so much has changed and yet the little things that hold their world together have barely changed at all.

In some cases, technology has slid backward.

A chunk of wall on the next pillar is enough proof of that.

Concrete.

Simple concrete.

The recipe was somehow lost to time and modern technology has yet to figure out exactly how the Romans created such sturdy hydraulic concrete so long ago. That is something Dean intends to research because his inside knowledge would prove very helpful to that rediscovery.

Finally. _Finally_. They turn the last corner and lay eyes on Portia for the first time since they entered the boathouses all those years ago. Dean’s last words to her were angry and that memory causes a sudden a sharp pang of regret in his heart that he doesn’t understand.

She was cruel, vindictive, and generally horrible to both of them.

Why is he suddenly bothered by his last words to her being just as mean?

He swallows hard and squeezes Cas’ hand tighter and they approach. Dean steals a glance at Cas in time to see him suck in a harsh breath and wipe his eyes. “You want a minute with her?” Dean asks softly.

If Cas noticed the exhibit is oddly empty of other patrons, he’s been distracted enough not to mention it and Dean is grateful for that.

“No. She doesn’t deserve to have me to herself.” Cas frowns.

“Cas,” Dean says, tugging him back to encourage Cas to face him. “This isn’t about her. She was your mom. She loved you. If _you_ want a moment alone with her, that’s okay.”

Dean ignores how strange it still feels to address their past life in much the same way as their current one but he sees no reason not to.

The memories aren’t any less real.

Cas sucks in a breath through his nose and nods faintly with a frown. “Maybe a minute then.”

Dean smiles softly and carefully releases Cas’ hand. “Take all the time you need.”

Dean watches as Cas slowly approaches the broad and gaudy banner with The Ring Lady plastered all over it along with the iconic photograph of her. He swallows hard as he stares at the rings he remembers being struck with each time she slapped him.

He busies himself reading the banners on the wall detailing the eruption from the weeks before until the day Herculaneum, Pompeii, and other small cities were buried. The bottom half of the large poster is a detailed account from Pliny the Elder who watched from afar on his ship and then perished looking for survivors.

Dean has seen all of this before.

The next section sings the praises of Emperor Titus for sending aid to the disaster areas and his other great works that made him a celebrated ruler despite his short tenure.

Dean wishes they had lived to see him succeed when so many expected him to fail.

When he glances back, he notices Cas watching him and he swallows hard as he abandons the history lesson.

Cas steps back, somehow knowing that Dean has things he needs to say to Portia and Dean gives him a grateful smile.

Cas doesn’t go far, although Dean knows that he would if he asked him too. Dean doesn’t need the privacy, he has nothing to say to her that Cas can’t hear too.

“We won, Portia. You have no power over us anymore. He’s mine.” Dean stares into her hollow eye and feels a morbid satisfaction knowing that there is nothing she can do to keep them apart anymore. “You’d be proud of him though. Or at least you should be. Cas is a great man. Smart, loyal, brave, kind beyond measure.” Dean swallows hard and shakes his head as his hand drifts toward his pocket.

He can feel Cas behind him, his presence large and warm, everything Dean has ever wanted.

“We’ve been through so much, maybe too much, but he is who I’m meant to be with and I intend to spend the rest of my life with him,” Dean says the last of his words loud enough for Cas to hear as he slowly turns around, ring clasped between his fingers but he freezes in place when he sees Cas on one knee with a small box in his hands.

“Cas?” Dean asks, his voice barely a breathy whisper.

“Dean,” Cas says, his voice low and rough as tears glisten in his eyes. He chuckles slightly and shakes his head. “It looks like we had the same idea.” His eyes drop to the gold band between Dean’s fingers.

“Cas?” Dean says again, heart hammering wildly as his mind races to catch up.

“Since I was six years old, you’ve been the most important person in my life. Both lives. We’ve fought for our relationship on so many fronts and come so far despite the impossible obstacles we’ve faced. I promised you once we would always be together even if I had to traverse the Plain of Asphodel to find you.” Cas pauses and swallows hard, eyes shining as Dean covers his mouth with his hands and tears burn in his eyes. “That promise is as true now as it was then. There is no one I would rather spend my life with, and I wish for nothing more than to stand with you at my side in front of the world like we never could have in the past. I would be honored if you would be my husband.”

Dean gives up all pretenses of holding himself together and he drops to his knees in front of Cas with his ring outstretched. “As if I would ever say no. Cas, you’ve been the only one for me since I can remember. You’re mine and I’m never letting you go.”

Cas lets Dean slip his chosen ring onto his finger and then shakily slides the ring he chose onto Dean’s hand as they both let out giggling sobs of joy.

“It’s about damn time,” Meg says from behind Cas and Dean finally looks up to see their friends and family have finally joined them.

“Meg?” Cas’ head whips around at the sound of her voice and his eyes widen further when he sees Gabriel, Anna, Balthazar, and Chuck standing together next to Dean’s parents, Sam, Charlie, Benny, and the Singers. The formerly empty room is now full of their family and not a single eye is entirely dry no matter how Bobby tries to hide behind his hat and beard.

“You brought them here?” Cas turns to Dean, blue eyes shining as his grin grows.

“They’re your family, Cas,” Dean says with a shrug. “I only told them what I was planning and they refused to be left out. Now I see why they were so eager,” he says with a faint laugh as his fingers toy with the brand-new ring on his finger. The silver gleams in the low light of the exhibit and Dean fights the urge to simply stare at the way the light metal stands in contrast against his skin.

“And you. You all knew, didn’t you?” Dean tears his gaze away from Cas and points to his family. Mary and John both wear pleased grins but Dean knows that glimmer in his mom’s eyes all too well.

“Castiel asked for our approval at Christmas time,” Sam says simply, as if that outdated, chivalrous bullshit isn’t the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone has ever done for Dean.

Dean looks at Cas and then back at his family with disbelief. “You knew we were both going to propose.” He says with a hard edge to his voice and a disbelieving smile on his face. “Did you know?” He asks Cas.

Cas shakes his head. “No one told me. I swear.” Cas looks around at the gathered crowd, meeting everyone’s eyes before turning back to Dean. “Although, now some things make a lot more sense.” Cas looks pensive even as his eyes gleam.

“We’re getting married,” Dean says with a wide grin and laughter in his voice. He decides he can pretend to be annoyed with his family later.

Right now, they have a happily ever after to look forward to.

He laces his fingers with Cas’, their new rings pressing against each other as Dean leans forward to draw Cas into a languid kiss that has Balthazar hooting and hollering before being shushed by the smiling but confused docent.

Dean giggles into their kiss before drawing back to stare into Cas’ eyes with a lazy grin. From the shadows of Mount Vesuvius, through the echoes of the dreams that followed, they’ve lost and then found each other. It seems that even Fate agrees, they’re better together.


End file.
